Barcelona through as Turkish fans again cause trouble

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Barcelona reached the Euroleague's knockout stages with a 77-73 win at Red Star Belgrade on Thursday while Galatasaray fans were again involved in ugly scenes before the 75-68 defeat at Alba Berlin.

Police had to step in to restore order after dozens of Turkish supporters ran down a section of the venue, pushing their way toward another area before clashing with security staff and throwing seats on to the court.

The players and coaches had to return to the changing rooms and public announcements in Turkish urged the crowd to stop and go back to their seats as the start was delayed for an hour.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

It was the second serious incident involving Galatasaray fans this season after a Red Star supporter was killed in fighting between rival fans in Istanbul in November.

Elsewhere, Barca joined Real Madrid in the knockout stages after a rip-roaring contest in the Kombank Arena where Red Star were cheered on by a fervent but well-behaved 19,000 crowd.

"I want to congratulate Red Star for a good performance," Barca coach Xavi Pasqual told a news conference. "We lost control several times but kept our nerve in the end."